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Get Offline: Put that Smartphone away

Hello lovelies…this time it’s a bit of self introspection. So, this post is not about fashion or beauty but about us millennials.

Let’s just think of how we go about our day..well, most of us.

You wake up, post a no makeup selfie on instagram (#goodmorning, #nofilter, and god knows how many more hashtags), get to work, update your status on facebook about how you reached office late because of the traffic or how you’re drowning in work and can’t get a day off. It’s lunch time now and you ‘check in’ to your office cafeteria and also insta what you’ve ordered for lunch. So, in between tweeting about the movie you saw last night and posting a story on snapchat, have you forgotten to live your life how it’s actually meant to be lived?

Although it’s not possible to completely do away with our smartphones, ipads and laptops, we can surely try to not be addicted to social media on our phones and laptops.

Let’s try and rediscover ourselves and make some lifestyle changes before it’s too late.

Limit the time spent on your favourite apps

Many of us can’t get through the day without pouting for a selfie on instagram, posting a story on snapchat to show people how cool our life is, checking in at all our holiday destinations on facebook and tweeting about the latest music or books we read. Although there’s nothing wrong in updating friends and family about your life, this shouldn’t become something you’re addicted to. So, try and limit the time you spend on these apps by enabling data usage warnings on your phone.

Gym Date

Why not go to the gym each day to keep fit and put your phone away for at least an hour and a half each day. Get a fitter body and a calmer mind. If you’re not too fond of working out in the gym, enroll yourself in an aerobics class or a yoga class.

Dance class or language class

Go join that dance class you’ve been putting off for so long or maybe learn a new language. Do anything that helps you forget about your phone for sometime. Remember the hobbies you always had…gardening, reading a book or cooking? Well, this is the best time to start all over again.

Picnics and brunches

Plan your weekend with friends and family. A picnic with your loved ones or even a Sunday brunch in your garden is a great idea to put that phone away and bond with your near and dear ones. When was the last time you had a scrumptious brunch with family sitting out in the garden with the winter sun lighting up your faces? Don’t remember…well, do it this Sunday!

Play with your pets

Isn’t it the most wonderful feeling to see a smile on your pets’ face? Be it a dog or a gold fish, we do love our pets but hardly get any time to show them our love. So, each day when you get back home, put away that phone and make it a point to spend some quality time with them.

Some more tips to get off that smartphone addiction

Your smartphone shouldn’t become a coping mechanism for you when you’re bored or upset. You should avoid logging into social media accounts on your phone to avoid notifications throughout the day and instead, set aside an hour to go through all the updates and notifications at the end of the day. Try and keep your phone on silent for an hour daily and don’t respond to any calls, mails or messages during your phone-free time, which should ideally be when you’re at the dinner table or when you’re spending time with family.

Summing it up

Although this has been a humungous post and all this is easier said than done, and I confess that I’m as addicted to my smartphone as any of you reading this post, let’s all try and make an effort to spend real moments with real people in the real world. And let’s just pledge not to be glued to our phones when we’re meeting colleagues for lunch, or when we go clubbing with friends or when we sit down to watch our favourite tv show with family. Would love to hear what you guys have to say!